Football

Frenkie de Jong(1) (Ajax & Netherlands)

He’s been dubbed “the new Johan Cruyff”, “the new Franz Beckenbauer” and the future of Dutch football. A midfield technician as comfortable operating as a No 10 as in assorted deeper roles, De Jong has also had a successful stint at sweeper, this time prompting comparisons to Ruud Gullit’s interpretation of the role during his Chelsea days. Others have variously detected shades of Frank Rijkaard, Xavi and Andrés Iniesta in De Jong’s game. Small wonder his progress has caused a three-way battle involving Manchester City, Barcelona and Bayern Munich for one of the European game’s most coveted signatures. A £70m-plus move in 2019 seems an inevitability for this refreshingly modest passer and dribbler. While Pep Guardiola and company have been enchanted by De Jong’s superior vision, his knack of “seeing the pictures early”, the silk is complemented by steel. More specifically his football intelligence is married to the sort of physical bravery much appreciated by Ajax fans. De Jong has long idolised Lionel Messi and while he is a very different footballer, few would bet against him one day becoming similarly prominent. Louise Taylor

Cricket

Henry Brookes (2)(Warwickshire)

Ashley Giles, England’s new director of cricket, could scarcely contain his excitement about Henry Brookes when in charge at Warwickshire. And, provided the back injury that curtailed his 2018 season is overcome, expect tongues to continue wagging about this 19-year-old fast bowler from Solihull when the Bears start life back in Division One. Tall, lithe and menacing, the right-armer has already been clocked at 90mph on the speedgun in white-ball cricket and from his six first-class matches to date boasts 21 wickets at 25 apiece. In keeping with the modern trend of fraudulent tail-enders, he has already raised his bat for a couple of half-centuries too. Could England take an early look? The former under-19 international trained with the full ODI squad at Headingley last season and with his old boss now running the show, a chance may come sooner rather than later. After all, while batsmen and spinners are often best left to mature, a case can sometimes be made for striking while the iron is hot as regards quicks. Ali Martin

Rugby union

Jordan Larmour(3) (Leinster & Ireland)

As the commentator Nick Mullins put it recently, “Forget phone-boxes, he could beat people in a mobile-phone case.” Still only 21, he is one of those players who quickens the pulse whenever he gets the ball. He has had to be patient for both club and country but he is now a nailed-on starter for Leinster and is getting there with Ireland. His emergence has brought the best out of Rob Kearney so Larmour only has two Ireland starts to his name, but it is easy to see him lighting up next year’s World Cup, producing the kind of performances he did against Italy last autumn, running in a hat-trick including one sensational try. Joe Schmidt can be conservative when it comes to introducing new players and he will not be seduced by the footwork if the rest of Larmour’s game – the less flashy parts – are not up to it. But there is every reason to believe it will be next year, both during the Six Nations as Ireland look to defend the title, and at the World Cup, where he can run amok on the fast pitches in Japan. Gerard Meagher

Athletics

Mondo Duplantis(Sweden, pole vault)

The first time the US-born Swedish pole vaulter broke a world record for his age group – clearing 2.33m – he was only seven years old. By then, though, he had already spent three years practising in a pole vault pit in his family garden. The records have kept tumbling since. At this year’s European championships in Berlin the then 18-year-old cleared an astonishing 6.05m to win gold against a high-class field including the former Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie. Only one man – Sergei Bubka – has ever jumped higher outdoors. Duplantis, who won the IAAF’s rising star award this year, has the talent and genetics to make a serious push for the Ukrainians’s record in the coming years. His father, Greg, has a pole vault personal best of 5.80m while his mother, Helena, represented Sweden in the heptathlon at the 1983 European Junior Championships. “I’d like to bring a resurgence back to Swedish track and field,” says Duplantis, who is targeting gold at next year’s world championships. “I’d like to make my mum proud.” Sean Ingle

Tennis

Alexander Zverev (5) (Germany)

Alexander Zverev has lurked like a lion at a drinking hole for two seasons, reaffirming his pedigree by winning the ATP World Tour Finals in London during November, dominating the world No 1 Novak Djokovic in the final after seeing off Roger Federer in the semis. At 21, Zverev is perfectly poised to pounce, ranked No 4 in the world and growing into his impressive 6ft 6in frame under the guidance of Andy Murray’s former conditioning coach, Jez Green. If any of the young contenders is going to disturb the elite then Zverev, the German with the American twang and Russian heritage, is at the head of a short but eager queue. His next test arrives at the first slam of the new season, in Melbourne from 14 January. Djokovic will start favourite – and probably will not relish meeting Zverev until the end. Zverev has personality to go with his talent, and his straight-talking has already livened up a sport grateful for the unparalleled excellence of the past dozen years and more, but hungry for change and new energy. Kevin Mitchell